Cord Byrd: “Further, humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan has been interrupted because of a policy adopted in 1992 to cut off U.S. aid to…”

“Further, humanitarian aid to Azerbaijan has been interrupted because of a policy adopted in 1992 to cut off U.S. aid to that nation as a result of its conflict with Armenia. In 1992, a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan led Congress to ban direct U.S. aid to Azerbaijan. This was included as Section 907 of the 1992 law called the Freedom Support Act, which was intended to provide economic and other aid to former Soviet republics to assist their transition to free and independent states with solid ties to the West and open markets for American business. As currently interpreted, Section 907 prevents U.S.- funded non-governmental organizations from dealing with Azerbaijan's government in carrying out humanitarian missions. In formerly-Soviet Azerbaijan, the government still controls a large portion of the economy, making it difficult, under Section 907, for aid organizations to deliver much-needed help to Azerbaijan's population, nearly a million of whom are displaced persons and refugees. The findings of a recently released report on the refugee health crisis in Azerbaijan, by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, UNICEF and the World Health Organization cites serious difficulties in delivering vital medical supplies and other aid because Section 907's ban on direct U.S. aid has been broadly interpreted and used to restrict the delivery of such aid. This was never the intent of Section 907.”